The Convention on Biological Diversity: Promise and Frustration

Abstract

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which was signed at the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, has now been ratified by over 110 countries. The CBD is comprehensive, addressing biological diversity in terms of genes, species, and ecosystems, whether in their natural state or modified by human intervention. It is also the first environmental treaty to address equity issues, including the recognition of the role of indigenous and local communities in conserving biodiversity. The comprehensiveness of the treaty constitutes one of its main strengths, but its complexity also helps explain the difficulties it has encountered and the strong forces that threaten to weaken its development and implementation. The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP) was held in the Bahamas in late 1994. This paper introduces the Convention, highlights the results of the first COP, and discusses some of the major issues in conserving biodiversity, includingforests,funding, intellectual property rights, biosafety, the role of NGOs, and indigenous people. It concludes with several recommendations for further action.